Tuesday, December 22, 2015

A video on the improved GEM parboiling rice system, which has started to make a difference in the lives of over 450 women rice parboilers in the Glazoué rice hub in Benin, has been produced. AfricaRice has developed and established the GEM system in Glazoué using an innovation platform approach along the rice value chain thanks to the project "Support to Agricultural Research for strategic crops in Africa" (SARD-SC) with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB).Appropriate training has allowed women to explore the GEM method and its advantages that include the following: • Reduction of post-harvest losses; • Parboiling a large quantity of rice in a limited period of time; and • Improving the quality of rice that better meets consumer demands. The innovation platform approach has promoted the creation of good business relations between the various stakeholders in the rice value chain by bringing together all the stakeholders.As a result, rice consumers are progressively being attracted to the locally produced parboiled rice in Glazoué, leading to increase in incomes of women parboilers. In addition to the beneficiaries from Glazoué rice hub, the training included women processors from Malanville in northern Benin and 10 young entrepreneurs.This video is produced by AfricaRice and SARD-SC.Related link :

Monday, December 14, 2015

The
Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) received the 70th anniversary
commemorative medal of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) for outstanding contributions and remarkable collaboration in support of
FAO’s mission.

On
behalf of the FAO Director General, the FAO Representative in Côte d’Ivoire Mr
Germain Dasylva handed over the medal and the commemorative publication “70
YEARS OF FAO 1945-2015” to the AfricaRice Director General Dr HaroldRoy-Macauley at a simple award ceremony held on 14 December 2015 at the FAO
Office in Abidjan.

“We
are very pleased to announce that AfricaRice was selected for this award based
on a rigorous and competitive process,” stated Mr Dasylva. Highlighting the
important work of AfricaRice, he gave the example of the emergency projects in
Côte d’Ivoire carried out from 2006 to 2012, where seed of improved rice varieties
developed by AfricaRice were distributed by FAO to vulnerable households.

The
award ceremony was attended by FAO and AfricaRice representatives as well as by
the Director General of Scientific Research and Innovation, Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research Prof. Séraphin Kati-Coulibaly, who is also AfricaRice
Board Member.

Gratefully
accepting the award on behalf of AfricaRice and its 25 member States, Dr
Roy-Macauley said that AfricaRice considers FAO as a strategic development partner
in its quest to realize Africa’s huge rice potential to contribute to poverty
alleviation and food security in the continent.

“We
are convinced that Africa has the human, physical and economic resources to
produce enough quality rice in a sustainable manner to feed itself and in the
long run to export to other regions,” reiterated Dr Roy-Macauley.

He
explained that to achieve this goal more attention needs to be paid to
improving the entire value chain. AfricaRice is developing a business model around
this concept based on the solid experience of Côte d’Ivoire and other leading
countries in the region.

Both
Mr Dasylva and Dr Roy-Macauley referred to the COP21 climate agreement and its
relevance for Africa, which is most vulnerable to climate change.

“AfricaRice
is increasingly putting emphasis on the development of climate-smart and
gender-sensitive technologies for a productive, resilient rice sector in
Africa, based on a sustainable management of natural resources,” Dr
Roy-Macauley said.

He
added that efforts are also being put on rice innovation that will respond to
the creation of employment and incomes especially for women and youth.

Speaking
on the different institutional strengths of FAO and AfricaRice to make a more
significant contribution to Africa’s food security needs in terms of rice, Dr
Roy-Macauley said that FAO has vast networks, strong technical expertise and
long-term commitment to rice research and development in Africa.

AfricaRice
and FAO are actively participating in several important initiatives such as the
Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD). Moreover, the Declaration of the
Third Africa Rice Congress held in October 2013 requested FAO to stimulate
national, regional and global partnerships to help develop Africa's rice sector.

Dr
Roy-Macauley mentioned that discussions during his recent meeting with the FAO
Director General focused on the need for strong demonstration and visibility of
the partnership efforts.

“That
is why AfricaRice and FAO are especially conceptualizing the organization of an
African Heads of State summit in 2016, which we are convinced will play a
critical role in boosting rice sector development, in cross-cutting areas, and
in particular related to the policy domain,” explained Dr Roy-Macauley.

Congratulating AfricaRice for the FAO award, Prof. Kati-Coulibaly said that this sends out a strong signal of encouragement to the Center to continue in its efforts to help African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, attain their ambition of rice self-sufficiency. “Côte d’Ivoire needs the strong support of both FAO and AfricaRice.”

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

AfricaRice is pleased
to announce that its 2016 Science Week and Global Rice Science Partnership
(GRiSP)-Africa Forum will be held, 1-5 February 2016, at its regional center in
Cotonou, Benin.

The Science Week serves
as the annual review, reflection and planning event for the Center and its research
and development partners from around the world. It is held under the
framework of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), a CGIAR
Research Program on rice.

International and national rice research and development partners from the
public and private sectors, including representatives of national research and
extension programs of about 30 African countries are expected to participate in
this event.

The main objectives of the 2016 AfricaRice Science Week and GRiSP-Africa Forum
are to discuss results obtained in 2015 and carry out effective and efficient
planning of rice research-for-development (R4D) activities in 2016.

In addition to updates
on GRiSP-Africa R4D activities and meetings of the Africa-wide Rice Task Forces
and the Rice Sector Development Hubs, the Science Week’s program will include among others brainstorming sessions on
improved seed delivery,long-term agronomic
trials related to soil fertility management,
knowledge sharing and innovation platforms
in rice value chains.

Friday, December 4, 2015

“AfricaRice” App is now available for download for free through the iTunes App Store.

Additionally, in your App store you can also locate the app through search terms such as “AfricaRice”.

Available for iOS platform, this App will provide users with easier access to current updates and latest information on jobs, news, publications, videos, photos and podcasts. It has links to AfricaRice social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Blog, and a customized newspaper built from articles, blog posts, videos and photos selected by AfricaRice and CGIAR Consortium relating to agricultural research and development.

“AfricaRice” App is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and it requires iOS 7.1 or later. The mobile phone application uses both the features of a smartphone and internet connectivity.

AfricaRice headquarters is based in Côte d’Ivoire. Staff are located in Côte d’Ivoire and also in AfricaRice Research Stations in Benin, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. For more information visit: www.AfricaRice.org

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

Its research is carried out by 15 CGIAR Centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. www.cgiar.org